The Lights That Shine Above
by ibelieveinahappilyeverafter
Summary: A friendly desert community that's the most scientifically interesting in the U.S. where the sun is hot, the moon is beautiful, and mysterious lights pass overhead while we all pretend to sleep. Night Vale has a lot to offer. Welcome to Night Vale drabbles inspired from around the internet with a focus on the Cecilos pairing.
1. Scientific Facts

A new story filled with Welcome to Night Vale prompts that mostly revolve around the Cecilos pairing. Please enjoy!

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Title: Wednesday Drabble - Scientific Facts

Alternate Universe: Covers pre and post One Year Later/First Date

Pairing: Cecilos (Carlos x Cecil)

Rating: T (vague mentions to scenes of a sexual nature)

Warning: Minor Character Death (Carlos' Team of Scientists) / General Night Vale darkness

Inspired By: Carlos' appearance inspired by drawings done by randomdraggon.

Summary: Carlos is a scientist. A scientist deals with facts and Carlos muses on some facts about himself, Night Vale and, of course, Night Vale's Voice.

::

Night Vale had to be the most scientifically interesting community in the U.S. Carlos didn't say this because of the hooded figures, the place that sounded like log bark, the City Council that was as Big Brother as it could get, the six-armed reptilian mayor, the angels who did not exist, or even the fact time didn't exist- Actually, that last one made sense. Time was a human concept and not a natural law of the world when thought went into it, so Night Vale deciding to ignore time altogether and just live in the moment was actually inspiring and better than- Off track. He was getting off track.

The point was that none of that was what made Night Vale the most scientifically interesting place in the U.S. No, what made it that was the fact that the people of Night Vale actually _liked_ Carlos. Look, Carlos had _some_ self-esteem, he knew he wasn't all that bad. He also, however, was a scientist, and a scientist looked at the facts.

Fact number one.

His hair, while being a rich dark brown, was shot through with gray at the temples. This wouldn't be so bad if he was older than thirty three, but here he was, not even halfway through life, and his hair made him look at least ten years older than he was - maybe more.

The fact his hair had been like this for _years_ also didn't help matters. At least the older he became the more he grew used to the comments and looks and the more _natural_ it looked. Before, though- Well. It was the same comments everywhere he went.

"Oh, dear, you're how young? I just thought… Well, nevermind. You look good for your age!"

"Need help crossing the street, mister?"

"You know, I have this really good hair dye you could use. It'll cover up the other gray hairs in the back."

"Oh, Carlos, you're so sweet, but it's just not going to work. I need to be with someone closer to my age, or, well, someone who at least _looks_ it."

That last one, said by an ex-boyfriend, had been particularly insulting considering the mand had been six years older than Carlos and had a thin spot of hair that was quickly turning into a _bald_ spot and, okay, Carlos was still bitter about that one. Fact was, no one liked his hair. Or at least, no one _had_ liked his hair.

" _His hair is perfect, and we all hate, and despair, and love that perfect hair in equal measure._ " His first day in Night Vale and an unknown voice on the radio had started talking about his perfect hair and for a while Carlos thought the man had been mocking him. Then the Telly incident had happened and Cecil had incited a mob to chase the man out of town and it had been so _sweet_. That was probably the first time Carlos had really taken notice of the radio host.

Fact number two.

Carlos had dark skin - of course he did considering his heritage and the fact he grew up and lived in deserts his whole life. He liked his dark skin, and so did a few other people he had met, but what they _hadn't_ liked was the lichtenberg scarring he had. The scars, like bolts of lightning, were an off-colored white and began at the palm of his right hand before traveling up his arm, across his shoulder, and even touching parts of his neck. Fact number two actually related back to fact number one a lot.

The gray hair he usually told people was just from bad genetics, but both that and the scarring had been from a lab accident he had in his early twenties when working with some shoddy equipment in his lab. The scarring had been pretty cool looking once he recovered, but the comments…

"I have some makeup that will cover those right up! Don't worry, Carlos, I'll help you look normal."

"You know, if you're disabled you shouldn't be working like you are. You should just quit and get some government money or something."

"You had such beautiful skin, too. It's a shame what happened. Don't worry, I'm sure someone will accept you."

"I just can't do this anymore, Carlos. I can't handle the pitying looks I get whenever we go out in public together, anymore!"

That last one- Yeah, Carlos had been through a lot of shitty exes, okay, he knew that. He had bad luck with dating and even more bad luck with relationships and there was a _reason_ scientists were self-sufficient. He had been quite content to hate his scars for the rest of his life until…

" _Oh, Carlos… They're beautiful._ " Until _Cecil_. The man had always admired his scars and there had been one night where a sweet kiss to the palm where some of the scars were had ended up with Cecil tracing each and every scar with his tongue and teeth and Carlos hadn't _known_ his neck was so sensitive, but that had been a very fun way to find out, certainly. If he hadn't been in love with Cecil before that night - which he had evidence to prove otherwise - then the way he had lavished attention on those scars had certainly changed that.

Fact number three.

Carlos tended to dress… Well, odd was putting it mildly, really. Night Vale was used to seeing him run around in his lab coats and his galaxy print jeans trying to fix the latest crisis, but outside of Night Vale it was typically considered that lab coats were _only_ for the lab and anything galaxy print should be reserved for teenage girls under the age of seventeen. If Carlos had gotten that memo, he didn't adhere to it.

It wasn't that he wore the lab coats to stand out or anything - god, no, the last thing Carlos wanted was to stand out, it was just… They were really comfortable, okay? Plus it was a _statement_ and part of him had never grown out of being the little boy who ran around wearing a white jacket and playing with chemistry sets in order to make an acid that ate through concrete and cement. The galaxy print was because, come on, _space_. It was just his _thing_. That didn't mean anyone ever liked it.

"It's pretty hot outside, you know. Don't you think you should be wearing something else?"

"Sir, I know you like wearing your coats and jeans, but this is a formal meeting. We need to look presentable."

"You haven't been to the labs in a week why are you _wearing_ that?"

"Carlos, sweetie, you know I think your science is great, but I can't be with you if don't respect me enough to wear something nice on our dates."

That last one was when they were at a _science convention_ so it was _perfectly acceptable_ to wear a lab coat and his galaxy print! At least Carlos had gotten to play around with some kids experimenting with thought controlled miniature robots, so that had been a good way to save the day. The point was that Carlos liked his coats, but no one else ever seemed to. Until Night Vale. Until _Cecil_.

" _Oh, Carlos, why aren't you wearing your coat? … Don't be silly! I love you with your coats on. They make you look… Well, why don't I show you how they make you look?_ " That- Aha, that had been a very good night and Carlos had learned that Cecil really, really, _really_ liked his lab coats. He may have started keeping some extra one's in Cecil's apartment because seeing them on Cecil was just… Ri- Right.

Fact number four.

His voice. His voice was… He supposed he could use objectively pleasing to describe his voice? The tone wasn't too high or too low and it was nice enough, but the fact it was ruined by the way he could _not_ shut up about science was what truly made it hard to connect with people. It wasn't his fault science got him so excited! He just- He had a new thought, or an idea, or a realization, and he had to _share_.

Okay, so no one had ever had anything bad to say about his voice, but there was never anything good said about it. There was especially never anything good to say about his scientific rambling. _Nothing_.

"Did you hear a word I just said? I've been talking to you for the last ten minutes!"

"Science is great and all, Carlos, but you really need to shut up about work for once."

"I'm really sick of getting cut off by your 'deductions,' Carlos. Why can't you just listen to me for once?"

"I just don't think it'll work. Every time things get fun you start talking about your work again. Don't you ever want to know how _my_ day went?"

That last one had not been said by a douche ex, but an ex with a point who still sent him birthday cards. Still, the fact was that his voice had never been the best until… Well, it was the first time his voice had been called 'oaky.'

" _Just the sound of his caramel voice!_ " Cecil seemed to adore his voice _and_ his ramblings. There had been one memorable occasion where the two had been in the middle of, well, 'making out' and Carlos had sat up and started rambling about the clock tower because he had _finally_ figured out a way to track it and get inside _before_ it teleported away. Instead of being put out, Cecil had only become more, ah, hm, 'affectionate.' Especially when Carlos' observations had turned into whining and begging and- Right.

Fact number five.

He hadn't exactly been completely honest with Night Vale when he first arrived. While this town _was_ the most incredible in all of the country, it was less of that and more he had been politely exiled from his university. He had technically volunteered for the Night Vale project, but he had been put on a waiting list that should have taken _years_. His one week waiting period, instead, had probably had something to do with his _practices_ when it came to his science.

See, Carlos specialized in seismology, but he also frequently found himself wrapped up in more _inventive_ sciences. It wasn't all that bad, but apparently the death ray he built on a dare had been a step too far. His other scientific exploits hadn't fared much better.

"Jesus fucking Christ, Carlos, did you just build a fucking _bomb_?!"

"You built a weather ray. Oh my god. You built a way to control the weather. Oh my god, what _are_ you."

"That's- That's a joke, isn't it? Being able to build something to _cause_ earthquakes. That has to be a _joke_ , right?"

"Don't come near me, don't speak to me, don't ever contact me again. I'll call the cops the next time I even _see_ you, is that clear?"

That last one had been said by an ex who had _broken into his lab_ and read a paper on how to build a mind control device. They were not Carlos' notes or papers, they were a snippet from a book Carlos was reading and wanted to study for scientific inaccuracies to help an English buddy of his. He had a _lot_ of bad exes, okay? His science was unethical, and dangerous, and, well, mad. His grant was less of a gift and more of a 'don't ever come back to this school again.' They sent him here so they'd never have to see him again. He was resigned to that and to be shunned from Night Vale, too, until…

" _Carlos - this station's favorite scientist - has just gifted the girl scouts with their own personal lasers after they came across them when earning their 'breaking into a labrotrary' patch. Adorable and perfect Carlos seemed scared, but he was reassured when I gently reminded him that lasers were only dangerous to children_ _ **under**_ _four years of age._ " Night Vale - _Cecil_ \- liked his mad science. Every dangerous and stupid thing he invented that had a chance of killing at least one person was greeted with beaming smiles and interest and often ended up saving the day in Night Vale. Cecil had been very, aha, _vocal_ about his love of Carlos' science one night, actually. It- Hm. Right.

Fact number six.

Playing into the whole mad scientist persona was his _smile_. It had never been called perfect, or nice, or even pleasant. Carlos' smiles were often met with worry, fear, or nervous laughter as colleges quickly backed away. It wasn't- He didn't- It wasn't like he actively _tried_ to scare people away from him! Really! It was just that his smile was a little too crooked, a little too wide, and a little too _wild_.

The smile would have been slightly unsettling if it was _just_ the smile, but it was the smile paired with everything else that did it. The prematurely gray hair, the lightning bolt scars that peeked out of his constant lab coats, the way he rambled about his very unorthodox silence… Mad scientist was the kindest word they had.

"Mad? _Mad_?! You're the one that's _mad_! You're probably going to end up blowing the whole school up the way you keep going on!"

"You're scaring me, Carlos. It was kind of funny at first, but now you're just… It was a funny joke, but it's over now, okay? Let it go."

"Enough, enough, _enough_. I've… I've had enough of this, Carlos. Look, you're a great friend, but I can't- Just go away now, okay?"

"Who would ever love a freak like you?"

That last one… That was the ex from before he had been exiled to Night Vale. The one he thought he had honestly loved and had started changing parts of himself just to- Jeez, he was glad for whatever ancient, eldritch forces sent him here to Night Vale, that was for sure. Here it wasn't a bad thing to be a 'mad scientist,' and his smile…

" _He grinned, and everything about him was perfect, and I fell in love instantly._ " Cecil…

Fact number seven.

A year and a day after Carlos had arrived at Night Vale he found that this wasn't just the most scientifically interesting community in the U.S., but that it was his _home_. That feeling had only grown the more time he spent with the Voice of Night Vale and the more he ran into people on the street who smiled _with_ him and _swooned_. That part had scared him the first time it had happened, but he was now quite used to such a thing.

Night Vale was his home the way nowhere else had ever been, but the problem right now was that it was not the home of his team that had come with him.

"Carlos, _please_ , we need to get out of here. It's been a year, okay, it's been _over_ a year, we have plenty of data, we can _go_ now." Tina paced the lab floors as if she was about to jump out of her skin - which had only happened once so far - and Mike was nervously staring at the flesh eating plant that had been morosely playing Go Fish for the last two days.

"Do you think we need to try some different food for her?" He was listening to Tina's concerns, honestly, he was, but Audrey III had been drooping for days and even the leaves were starting to turn blue. "Maybe some human flesh this time…"

"Do you even _listen_ to yourself?!" Tina's skin was edging towards an angry red, Carlos taking a moment to make sure it was just blood rushing through her veins from adrenaline and not the color changing virus from last month. "This isn't- This place- No one here is _human_!"

"Actually a good 49% of the population is human," Simon piped up, flinching under Tina's glare. "That's no excuse for how _weird_ they are, though." Mm.

"We're scientists. It's our _job_ to study weird." Carlos felt like he'd been having this conversation for years- Actually, judging by the way 'time' worked, it could be possible. Wednesdays tended to have the most temporal displacements. Tina also seemed to have the most complaints. "You all knew what was going to happen when you signed up for this post."

"I didn't know I was signing up to study fucking Sunnydale!" Aha, Buffy reference. Nice one. He liked to think they were a bit better than _Sunnydale_ , though. "Carlos, last week you said we. When talking about Night Vale citizens, you said _we_."

"I- Well, typically it does take a year to be considered a citizen of a town in some places." Except he had started seeing Night Vale as his home long before then. "Why are you bringing this up? You know the grant is two years-"

" _Four of us_ have _died_!" That… Carlos looked around the room. Mike, Simon, Tina, Josette, and Ryan stared back. Four empty places did, as well. There had been ten of them at the start of this and he hated himself a little for being surprised that so many of them _had_ survived. "Do you even remember their names?"

"Tina." Josette frowned. "I agree that we need to leave soon, but attacking each other isn't going to help anyone. We're outsiders." 'We'. Carlos had never felt such a divide between him and his staff before. They had gotten along so well in the beginning, but then the losses had taken their toll, he supposed.

"We have enough research," Mike said quietly. "We have all the files, all the tests, all the data, all the proof. If we get out of here can you imagine what they'll give us when we show them what we've discovered?"

"We'll be _heroes_ , Carlos. Are you really selfish enough to risk our lives just because you _think_ you might be in love with one of them?"

" _Tina_." Ryan was the one to glare this time, which, good- That was good. Because Carlos might have felt himself itching to grab that miniature death ray he had been tinkering with. "As big of a bitch as she's being, Tina has a point, Boss. We've got enough and I want to go home."

"This is how you all feel?" Five pairs of eyes stared back at him, Carlos sighing and running a hand through his hair, frowning at the length. He'd have to have a talk with Cecil, soon. Maybe he could convince Cecil to trim it himself… Hm. "I suppose I can't stop you, then."

"We're really going back?" The words were quiet and hushed and disbelieving. Carlos felt guilt prickle at his insides. Just because he had found a home here didn't mean the rest of his team had. "When? Now?"

"How about after you gather your data and projects," Carlos laughed, already running through the ad he would have to place. Maybe some Night Vale scientists would be good around here. "Make sure you take everything you need. I doubt Night Vale will let you back in once you leave."

"Carlos." Mike swallowed, looking pale- Normal pale. Not the skin leeches. Good, those things were a _bitch_ to get out. "Why do you make it sound like you're not coming with us?"

"I'm not." Alright, the looks of absolute terror and complete horror were a little much. "I signed an agreement with City Council. This post is to last two years, and while I'm free to dismiss and hire more team members, I have to stay as Head Scientist." Ugh, it had taken two pints of blood, three childhood wishes, and a dream of the future to get that paperwork finished, too. Also his memory of _signing_ the paperwork, which, that had been a pain to deal with.

"Screw City Council!" Simon burst out, the large and obviously fake potted fern by the door making a noise of derision. Carlos gave a weak smile.

"Sorry, Officer Mara, he's still being affected by the mites from last week."

"Just file the correct 'speaking ill of City Council' paperwork, Mr. Scientist." Flashing a smile at the plant, Carlos almost laughed as the leaves all fluttered.

"Look, I have a pact and I'm going to honor it, plus if I ever _did_ leave - not that I want to - I would discuss it with the man I'm currently in a relationship with."

"Carlos." Josette glanced over to the radio as if expecting it to be eavesdropping, which… Honestly, that was pretty likely. "Cecil is nice, but he's a bit controlling, isn't he?"

"Forget that, he's emotionally abusive!" Ah, Carlos felt the urge to reach for his death ray again. He needed to get better about controlling that habit, honestly.

"Look, pack your things, leave, and pretend that this was all a dream if you want. I'm staying." With that, Carlos was collecting his papers and Geiger counter, patting Audrey III's head, and walking out of the lab. As soon as the door closed he was sighing and leaning against it, rubbing at his eyes.

While the others were a little much, sometimes, they still reminded him of where he had come from and his home before Night Vale. He… At least he knew the five would survive. That just had to be enough.

Maybe Cecil had time to talk before his broadcast started.

::

Carlos was used to waking up and feeling like he had been hit over the back of the head with a baseball bat. Literally. It had happened three times, and there were plenty more times when it _wasn't_ a baseball bat. What he wasn't used to, however, was the feeling of being drugged. The Sheriff's Secret Police liked taking people, but they never _drugged_ them, so what…

"Fuck, Tina, I think he's starting to wake up." Mike? Oh, something must've happened and they had found him. He had such a good team. "Should I put him back under?"

"No, we should be at the town border, soon. Once we cross he'll be back to his old self." The words were clear, but Carlos was having a hard time piecing their meaning together with how murky everything was.

"I just feel bad we didn't let him say goodbye to Cecil." Cecil? Why were they talking about Cecil? They avoided saying or even _thinking_ about him half the time. "Do you think Cecil will…"

"Are you kidding? He was probably just playing with Carlos. He'll get over losing his toy and we get our lives back. Win-win, if you ask me."

Working to get his eyes open, Carlos' thoughts were in overtime to the point he couldn't even understand what his own thoughts were doing. It was too much and- Okay. Simple things. Eyes open, look around, observe the surroundings.

He was in the back of a moving van and lying on what seemed to be some bunched up lab coats and a blanket with some green sludge on it. Everything was vibrating so the van was in motion. They were driving. Okay, simple.

He was wearing what seemed to be his outfit from yesterday so he hadn't made it to bed, yet. Good. Another data point. Okay. His team were around him and talking about miles and hours and that meant they were driving somewhere. His team were driving him somewhere. Cecil? Were they driving him to Cecil? Why was everything so _fuzzy_?

"Mike, are you sure you only gave him half the vial? His heart rate is pretty slow." Ah, that was Josette's voice. She had always been the kind one of them, but she still had a habit of overstepping boundaries- Focus, Carlos.

"I was only supposed to give him half?" There was a wave of groans and complaints and accusations, Carlos closing his eyes and nope, no, no way. That was way too much noise and way too much _pain_. "Okay! I get it, I messed up, so it'll take him longer to come to, he'll be fine!"

"He'll be hardly able to _think_ until we're at the university, you moron!" University. Okay, he knew that word. He went there. That's where he got his PhD. Those years had been _hell_. He was so glad he was- _Focus_. Why were they talking about the university? They shouldn't be hearing from them. Right? Right.

"Just keep driving, Tina! We're almost at the border and after that we don't have to worry about those stupid secret police." They really needed to stop saying bad things when the police were _always watching_. Goodness, he knew it took some getting used to, but they were quite professional about their jobs - although there had been that one that had given him and Cecil 'supplies' when they first started being, ah, _intimate_. It had been terrifying at the time, of course, but, bless them, they had even pre-submitted the temporary authorization. Where was he?

Right. Moving van, team, talk about the university, town border- Why were they talking about the town border? Cracking his eyes open again, Carlos caught sight of a glint of silver and oh, he was in handcuffs.

He was in a moving van, his team was around him, they were talking about the university and town border, and he was in handcuffs after they had mentioned something about 'giving him more.' Oh, duh, his team had kidnapped him.

Carlos didn't feel so sleepy anymore.

"Why are you guys _doing_." Each word felt like it had to be forced out of him, Carlos whimpering when he felt Josette's hand pat his hair down.

"Easy, Carlos, easy. We're almost out, okay, and then we're all going home." Home- No. No, Night Vale was his home, and… Night Vale wouldn't let him go. Not if he didn't want to. He didn't want to. He didn't want to. He didn't _want to_ -

His entire world jumped and shifted and he screamed as some piece of their equipment fell onto his back and _fuck_ \- "Tina! What the fuck was that?!"

"Something fucking rammed into us!" It felt like the truck had picked up speed, but Carlos couldn't tell. The ground seemed to be rumbling, but that wasn't right… Night Vale couldn't feel earthquakes. Did he have his equipment? He needed to take some readings- A sharp jerk and whatever was on top of him fell off of him, Calos gasping for breath and ow, ow, ow, _it hurt_ -

"Oh god, oh god, oh god, oh god, oh god, oh god, we're going to _die_ -" This time the entire van was filled with screams and when Carlos opened his eyes he saw he was on pavement that was _burning_ into his _skin_ and pieces of equipment and data and parts were scattered all around them in a shining field of shrapnel. Sucking in a rattling breath, Carlos let out what he was pretty sure was a whimper. He was almost certain a rib had either cracked or been broken. Punctured lung?

Good… Maybe that was good. He'd rather die than leave Night Vale. He didn't want to go back to that world. He couldn't. He _didn't want to_ \- "Carlos!" Josette's scream had him opening his eyes back up to see the others were all sitting up - no, Simon wasn't - and staring behind him in horror.

The color purple filled the world and something like the void manifested into a tendril of reality entered his vision, looking ready to snap and tear into him before the thinnest part curled around the handcuffs still around his wrists. The tendril tugged, Carlos choked on a sob, and the world shook with _his_ rage.

Tendrils snapped out to wrap around him and lift him up, but they were careful and gentle and felt like warmth and love and Carlos felt all his fear leave him in a flash as he nuzzled against one, " _Cecil_."

He heard screams of the dying and he knew the sand would soon be red from the blood that stained it, but Carlos could only smile as he felt a tendril curl through his hair and stroke lightly behind one of his ears. Another was quick to break the handcuffs, the motion as easy as if the handcuffs were nothing but paper. Taking a shuddering breath, Carlos closed his eyes and relaxed. He knew he would wake up in a warm bed with no less than five blankets, pillows fluffed up around him, coffee on the table along with painkillers, and a silly radio host drooling on top of his chest. It…

Fact number eight.

Carlos had never really felt connected to a place before. His family had moved around a lot when he was a teeanger and straight after high school he had gone into college and then university and then all his studies and… Well. He was used to one-bedroom apartments, microwavable meals, and relationships that never lasted longer than three months. Others said-

No. It didn't matter what people had said, back then. That was then. Now- Oh, _now_ , it was… His scientists thought they were saving him, but Carlos had been saved long before then. Carlos had found a home and been saved and felt safe long before his scientists thought he needed it. He… He had been saved when he first turned on a dingy little radio in the corner of his empty lab and heard a voice speaking soft and low and _warm_.

" _A friendly desert community where the sun is hot, the moon is beautiful, and mysterious lights pass overhead while we all pretend to sleep._

" _Welcome to Night Vale._ "


	2. A Collection of Observations

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Title: Patr(e)on Exclusive - A Collection of Observations

Alternate Universe: Runs alongside and follows "Scientific Facts"

Pairing: Cecilos (Carlos x Cecil)

Rating: M (scenes of a sexual nature - non explicit)

Warnings: Mentions of Minor Character Death (Carlos' Team of Scientists) / General Night Vale Weirdness

Loosely Inspired By: ibelieveinahappilyeverafter tumblr com/post/159572751615/flintstille-misterhellboy-misterhellboy-i

Summary: Carlos notices a collection of strange observations around Night Vale. It seems the more he learns about the town, however, the more he feels like staying longer than just the two years he agreed to. He's finding out that isn't such a bad thing.

::

"Are you sure these are the right readings?" At the frantic nodding from one of his researchers, Carlos sighed and looked back to the numbers in front of him. He hadn't seen radiation readings like this except in copies of the reports on the Chernobyl aftermath when he was still going to college.

Everyone in Night Vale should long be dead and it seemed the High School should be the epicenter, but, no. The numbers said one thing, but Night Vale, as usual, seemed to say something else entirely.

"Oh! Carlos!" Speaking of Night Vale talking… Carlos looked over to the radio reporter that was near vibrating in delight, Carlos wracking his brain for a name- Ah, right. Cecil. He was the radio host at the community radio station. "Are you doing… _Science_."

"I, ah, yes." There was a whole other definition to that word in Night Vale, Carlos was sure of it. "I am doing science. That's what I do. As a scientist." God, jesus, he was the most awkward piece of-

"Oh! Well, I'm just, you know, working on a story." Cecil was fiddling with an old cassette player and had multiple wires wrapped around his arms and fingers, all of them seeming to lead either to the cassette player or the bulky headphones around his neck. He wasn't surprised to see a notepad, but he wondered just what he was going to write with - the whole writing utensil ban, and all. Carlos might have subconsciously tucked his own pencil further into his pocket. "Anything interesting going on?"

"Now that you mention it, there's a lot of things going on!" As Carlos rambled about the observations of the high school and how they should all be dead, he took a moment to reflect that he was starting to get used to living in a constant state of confusion. He had only been in Night Vale for three months, give or take a few weeks due to the temporal displacements, but it wasn't all that bad, really.

Okay, he had almost died countless times, but something always managed to show up to keep him alive in time. Carlos half wondered if that was because of the oddly dressed radio host nodding along to his explanations and playing with his wires like a teenage girl might play with a telephone cord. It was oddly… It was cute.

"You're, uh, you're welcome to follow any of us around, if you want. It might help your story, after all." Yeah, yep, alright. Cecil definitely swooned just then. "Just, uh, don't touch anything until we know it's safe, alright?"

"Anything you want, Carlos." Cecil near _floated_ after him - he was not floating, Carlos checked to make sure - and looked like a lovesick- Nope. He knew how Cecil 'claimed' to feel about him, but he was still pretty sure it was just one big joke and the second he bought into it the rug would be pulled out from under him! Right now Carlos would just continue to do his silence and ignore whatever Cecil was doing. Even if it was kind of nice to have someone curious about what he was doing that wasn't being paid to be there.

He still didn't buy the whole 'falling in love instantly' joke, though. He wouldn't. He _wouldn't_. He… Enjoying it couldn't hurt, at least, right?

::

"There's a pool in the attic." See, that sentence alone was strange. _Speaking_ that sentence was very strange. "There's a pool in the attic of the _school_." That? That was stranger. Carlos should probably be used to strange, now.

"There's a pool in the attic of the school," Simon nodded, looking as exhausted as he felt. "We're not allowed to go up there, though. No one is. There's an armed guard with a taser at the entrance."

"Fun." Taser. Carlos could build a taser. Carlos should build a taser- Then again, electricity and him didn't get along sometimes. Mm, he'd think about the taser. "Does the attic pool have any scientific merit?"

"It's rotting down to the ceiling and the first floor." That wasn't very- "The mold is glowing and it's yellow." Now _that_ had some scientific merit!

"How yellow? What's the field of light that it's casting? Does it happen to continue if cut away from the main mass?" Carlos was already gathering his kit together, heading for the door as Simon scrambled to follow.

"Uh, I mean, sunshine yellow, I guess? The field is- It's hard to tell? It was glowing and it looked radioactive so I left. It could be what caused our earlier readings at the high school-"

"Mold that's radioactive? That sounds amazing!" Imagine what could be _built_ with that! If it was able to be grown in an environment outside of the school then it could- Well, it- Okay, Carlos didn't know the practical applications yet, but he wasn't paid for designing, he was paid for _discovering_! "Sunshine yellow, you said?"

"I- I think? It could have been more of a golden color?" Simon held up a picture, Carlos staring at what looked like pitch black mold that was growing along a wall. "It doesn't photograph well."

"Incredible," Carlos breathed, taking the picture and beaming again. He was _pretty sure_ he saw a group of teenagers, well, _swoon_ across the street. Damn that radio show and the entire town buying into the joke. "The light it gives off must interfere with the camera- But how? The possible radiation? This is going to be fun!"

"Car- Carlos! We're going into a radioactive environment with no safety gear and no neutralizing agents and-"

"Night Vale won't let it harm us." Pausing, Carlos felt his confusion the same time he saw it on Simon's face. "I mean- It's Night Vale, right? No one's dead from this mold yet, so I doubt it will affect us."

"Right- Right. Let's just hurry, okay? I want to get in and out before the kids see us." Simon gave a full body shudder. Carlos couldn't really blame him since the teenagers of Night Vale were… Well. They were alright when in public, but at the high school they seemed to be terrifying eldritch abominations who only focused on death. It made Carlos feel a little nostalgic for his own high school days.

"Don't worry, don't worry, we'll be careful." Radioactive mold that grew naturally, though! Or maybe it didn't. He'd have to get samples of the pool to be certain. That armed guard might be a problem. Mm, he could make his own taser or stun gun… He'd come back to it! Right now it was just about the mold that may or may not be radioactive. He hoped it was. That would make it so much _better_ \- Was the pool full of nuclear waste? That seemed like a Night Vale thing.

For as strange as this place was, Carlos supposed he would be lying if he said he wasn't having a great time with it all. It was- This place- _Science_!

::

"Oh, hi, Isabelle!" Carlos perked up at seeing the return of his favorite worker at Big Rico's, Josette and Tina shuddering on either side of him, and, really, that was rude. They should know better to hold in their shudders of disgust until they were back at the lab. "We thought you might have died horribly!"

"No, no, it was just that one time, Mr. Scientist." Isabelle returned the smile with a shy one of her own, and, really, she was a sweet girl. She always made sure to sneak some extra cheese on Carlos' wheat-free pizza slice, after all, and she was even always willing to answer his questions about the town. "Your usual?"

"Three, please," Carlos smiled, trying not to laugh when he saw at least five people nearby blush. Leave it to Night Vale to like the smile that most 'normal' people saw as nothing but the smile of a mad scientist. "So what's been happening with you these last four months?"

"The usual," Isabelle laughed, accepting the bag of scarb beetle carcases as payment. Carlos had to resist the urge to roll his eyes at Tina's horrified look. She was still trying to get used to the whole 'blending in' part of staying in Night Vale. "How has your Science been going? Cecil talks about it a lot."

"Yeah… He does." It had been almost eight or nine months since they arrived at Night Vale and Cecil was still doing his 'in love' joke, but… It had been a long time since he had heard that first radio broadcast. It couldn't be a joke for that long of a time, right? "Science has been good- Actually, I wanted to ask you something that might be a little rude."

"That's okay, I'm a Virgo! We can't get offended today according to the stars!" Oh, right, Cecil had announced the horoscopes earlier. What had Taurus been? Oh, right. The whole 'perfect time to ask someone out for a coffee.' He was pretty sure the stars' words had been warped for that one. Or maybe the stars themselves had been warped? Hm. Ugh, focus, Carlos.

"I was wondering if I might have a skin sample." Carlos gestured to where the skin, formly as dark as Carlos' and covered with freckles, was now an electric blue and made of what seemed like snake scales. "If it's not too much trouble, of course-"

"No, no, it's fine, Mr. Scientist!" Beaming, and ignoring the reactions of his team, Carlos collected a few quick skin samples - even a piece of skin that looked to have begun molting - before thanking Isabelle and accepting their pizza slices. "I'm glad she's back. She was always such a nice girl."

"She's blue," Josette whispered. "Blue and growing scales and-" One of the light fixtures rumbled as they sat down, Carlos sighing.

"Sorry, Officer Mara, you know how quiet she is." Carlos frowned at Josette. "No whispering, remember?"

"How did you know it was Officer Mara," Tina frowned, looking up at the light fixture and yelping as Carlos lightly kicked her under the table. "What!"

"They don't like their hiding spots being stared at. It's rude. And yeah, Isabelle is blue. It's a nice color on her, though. I remember before she left she was thinking about streaking her hair that color."

"Carlos, how long is this researching post?" That was a strange question. "I forgot." Ah, probably the memory mosquitoes. Cecil mentioned they had been through a late breeding cycle this year.

"Two years outside time." The women shared a look, Carlos deciding not to question it as he heard the radio on their table flick on, Cecil's smooth voice filling the room. A coffee, huh? It… It couldn't hurt. He needed to warn Cecil about the whole 'clocks aren't real' thing, anyways. Yeah… Yeah, he'd call once he got home.

::

A little over a year had passed in Night Vale and yet there were still new mysteries that boggled Carlos' mind every day he was there. The latest mystery seemed to be the thick fog that had wrapped around Night Vale. It was thick enough to where no light could be seen and it seemed as if they were alone in the clouds- Really, absolute _no_ light could get through. They had kicked Javelle out with a flashlight an hour ago and closed the door and there had been no knocks or screams to be let back in since.

"I think Javelle is dead," Mike whispered, nose pressed up to the glass and deep bags under his eyes harshened in the lab lighting. Carlos just gave a quiet, hopefully comforting hum. "We killed Javelle."

" _We_ didn't kill Javelle, this _fucking_ town did." And there they went. It seemed everyone was getting more and more agitated the longer they stayed here.

"I'll make some tea." Ignoring the yelling, Carlos walked towards the kitchen, pausing at the fake potted fern. "Screamoile, right, Officer Mara?"

"Two teaspoons of blood, if you could, Mr. Scientist." The leaves ruffled with her speaking, Carlos nodding and putting the kettle on. It always took some effort to get the ice to lie flat in the cooker, but soon enough the kettle was heating up.

Screamoile actually sounded good, right then. The quiet, horrified screaming could usually be ignored after a while, too, but the sound was always just enough to offer a nice background noise. Busy with his decision, Carlos only paused when he heard knocking on the door followed by his name being called.

"Behave," he told the kettle sternly, waiting until it gave a reluctant nod before he went to see who- Oh.

"Hi, Carlos." Cecil was smiling shyly, cheeks flushed even with how uncertain he looked. The- The _thing_ between them was still rather new and uncertain, but Carlos would be lying if he said he didn't enjoy the fact Cecil came over through this heavy fog just to visit.

Carlos vaguely listened as Cecil bumbled his way through an explanation about science and radio and a story and he looked mortified at saying 'neat' at one point and… Unable to stop himself, Carlos moved forward and swiftly, but gently, kissed his cheek. Cecil's cheeks flushed a bright violet as his tattoos curled and wiggled on his skin in sheer delight.

"Why don't you join me for a cup of tea, Cecil." Carlos was already leading him to the kitchen, trying not to laugh as Cecil looked even more besotted. "Tea is good for foggy days and I have a kettle of Screamoile on."

"That… That sounds _wonderful_ , Carlos." Humming, Carlos leaned forward and placed another kiss on Cecil's cheek, this one near brushing the corner of his lips.

"Neat."

::

"That can't be real." Ryan looked to be losing his mind and was ripping his hair out in chunks as he circled the edges of the hole that had appeared in the middle of the night. It was a perfect circle, the sides touched all the way to the foundations of the buildings on either side of the street, and there was no way across without falling in or climbing over the rooftops. "There's no way a hole can just _form_ like this!"

"Is it a painting?" Tina was pressed flat against the ground and waving her arm into the hole. "No, not a painting. Maybe it's only three feet deep and it's painted to look deeper? Let's throw Mike in."

"Screw you." Mike grabbed Tina's clipboard off the ground and tossed it in, all of them watching as it fell, and fell, and fell, and _fell_. "Fuck."

"Did we have a bottomless pit scheduled for the center of downtown today?" Carlos asked, frowning to himself as he checked his phone. Cecil usually texted him the traffic reports before he aired them, but he didn't remember anything about this. "Maybe it was scheduled for next week and got moved back to today."

"Jesus fucking Christ I hate this fucking town." Frowning at Tina, Carlos shook his head. Honestly, if she kept this up then maybe it would be better if she left Night Vale. It had been over a year and she still wasn't understanding how it worked - as a scientist _and_ a citizen.

"Mr. Scientist, sir!" Startling, Carlos looked behind him, smiling at the group of girl scouts that saluted him quite seriously. "We have need to cross! We're working on our downtown volunteer patches and the businesses have no need of us on this side!"

"I see. That's a pretty important patch." Bending down to be on their level, Carlos looked them over and hummed in thought. "We don't have a safe way to cross right now."

"We are girl scouts, sir. We have no need of safety." Fair point. Then again, these _were_ the girls who broke into his lab and were armed with deadly lasers that could sear through flesh and bone. They were adorable. "We will cross with or without your aid!"

"Although your aid would be preferable," one of the younger ones said quietly, Carlos laughing and standing back up.

"Well, who am I to stand in the way of the girl scouts, right?" Let's see, what could they use to cross? Grabbling would be too dangerous, he didn't have the time for a jet pack, he was still working on his teleportation calculations, and a trampoline would just be dangerous since it wasn't a Saturday- Oh. Maybe old fashioned would work. "Who knows where to find some wooden planks?"

A little under an hour and Carlos helped the girls construct a rough bridge made out of nailed together plywood and snapped tree branches. His sleeves were pushed up, his glasses were low on his face, and his smile was wide as he crossed his arms with his hammer still in hand. "I think you all earned your 'creative handiness within spacial deformities' patch!" There were cheers from the troop, Carlos unable to help his laughter. They were so cute!

"You're not going to cross this. You can't be serious. You can't cross this. There's no _way_ you can cross this." Josette was babbling and looking on in horror, Carlos making a mental note to give her a vaccine before it really set in. "This is _insane_."

"Don't worry." Testing the start of the bridge, Carlos nodded and slung his hammer through a belt loop. "We Night Valians are pretty sturdy. You girls ready?" Another cheer and Carlos stepped up onto the bridge, walking a few feet out and making sure it was steady before waving them along. "You know, I was a boy scout when I was around your age."

That got multiple surprised cries for more information, Carlos catching one of them wondering how he was still alive. "Oh, boy scouts were kind of different where I grew up, but they were _horrible_ days. They never taught us anything useful, like what you girls learn! Did you know I didn't learn how to hide and pray to the ancient gods until I came to Night Vale? I never even knew what a bloodstone circle was!"

Carlos regaled the girls with stories all the way across the gap, keeping them distracted and focused before jumping onto the road on the other side and making sure each girl got off safe and sound, giving a high five to each one of them. Once they were settled, Carlos pulled out a bright purple feather - not a quill and so technically not a writing utensil - and a bottle of ink. "Right, let me sign your verified witness papers so you can get that badge."

As they all clambered around him with slightly smoking papers, Carlos watched them with a sense of- Well, of _belonging_. He really was becoming a part of Night Vale.

::

He did become a part of Night Vale. His scientists meant well, but they had been idiots. Cecil made sure he wasn't taken from his home and his team had paid for what they had tried to do.

Carlos had no dreams about the blood red sand that day.

::

"Oh, dear… Carlos, I don't think you'll be getting back to the lab tonight." Frowning at Cecil's worried tone, Carlos pushed himself off the couch, wincing slightly at the pulling on his still healing side.

"Another government issued sandstorm?" Walking over to the window showed it had been plastered with flyers, Carlos studying them for a moment and oh- Oh! "The lockdowns are yearly, then?" He remembered his lab being on lockdown last year. It had been rather irritating, back then.

"I'm so sorry, Carlos. I know you were looking forward to getting back to your lab, tonight. Oh, and you were going on about how much work you have to do in finding new scientists and interns." Cecil chewed at his lower lip for a few seconds, Carlos unable to resist leaning forward and pushing his lips against Cecil's, biting at the lip himself before letting go.

"It's alright. I could probably stand to get a little more rest after everything that happened. A scientist is self-aware when it comes to his own limits, after all." Carlos probably would have gone on that way if he hadn't been distracted by Cecil's flushed cheeks. The violet hue was always so distracting, more so when all three of his eyes were shimmering that pale lavender. "I guess I'm going to be a bother on you for a little while longer."

"Oh, Carlos." Shivering as Cecil's voice dropped into a lower register, something dangerously close to his radio voice, Carlos made a startled noise as he was pushed up against the window. "My perfectly imperfect Carlos. You are in _no_ way a bother on me."

The swirling tattoos on Cecil's skin began to peel off and twist into dizzying three-dimensional shapes, all of them forming into something that was a mix between a tendril and a tentacle. Carlos' speechlessness was quickly lifted, a quiet moan leaving him as three slipped under his clothes and curled around bruised and battered skin.

"I should have made them suffer more." Cracking his eyes open - when had he closed them? - Carlos watched as Cecil nuzzled behind his ear, voice quiet, but edged with raw anger. "They didn't suffer enough for what they did to you."

"They thought they were helping." A sharp bite to the edge of his ear had him jerking against Cecil, and, right, while Cecil may have been shy and flustered most of the time, in times like _these_ , well. Aha. Carlos was certainly not against it. " _Cecil_."

"I thought you were trying to leave, you know." Cecil's voice drifted towards something closer to sorrow and loss, Carlos clutching at his arms tightly as one of the tendrils curled along his waist and slipped past his pants. "Outsiders don't last long, Carlos, much less a year. I thought you wanted to leave Night Vale-"

"Never." The word came out as more of a gasp, Carlos' back arching as one of the cool tendrils pressed up along his spine. "No, no, Cecil, I'd never-" Carlos whimpered as he was pressed more against the window, edges of the wooden frame digging into his skin as Cecil pressed closer and closer to him. "Cecil, I-" Words. He wasn't-

Carlos wasn't good with words like Cecil was. His profession meant he stated _facts_ , not- He didn't go off on poetic tangents about how Cecil's eyes shined like the moon (they did), or how his voice was like an ocean come to life (deep, unknowable, and always a mix of comforting and terrifying). He wasn't good at voicing those thoughts, but… But he could state the facts.

"I'd never leave Night Vale." Facts. He could do facts. Fact one. "Night Vale has been the only place to ever accept me." Fact two. "No one laughs at me, here. They accept me." Fact three. "They accept me and my science." Fact four. "Night Vale is my home." Fact five. "I'd rather you kill me than be taken from my home." Fact six. "I'd never leave because you're here."

Fact seven… "You're here and I'm in love with you, Cecil. I would never leave." There. That was a good way to state the facts and present his case in a nice, clear, concise-

Carlos made a very embarrassing noise as he was pushed to the floor, swearing at the jolt to his wounds and the wood pressed up harshly against his back. He would have complained if he wasn't pulled into a kiss that made him forget how to even breathe.

"Oh, Carlos, that's not fair- That's not fair, Carlos." Cecil was whining and moving against him, Carlos quickly forgetting to feel upset about being pushed to the floor. "You can't just say those things, Carlos. _Carlos_ -"

"The lock-ins last sixteen hours, right?" Even through crooked glasses, Carlos saw the way Cecil's breath caught. Instead of saying something that might ruin the moment, Carlos pulled Cecil back into another kiss.

Unlike Cecil, words weren't Carlos' strong point, but that just meant he had _other_ ways to show Cecil how much he cared.

::

" _-munciapply approved tornado came to our little berg this morning. It's been scheduled to trace a path through the overabundant car lots that have become quite an eyesore on our fair town. Not to worry, though, citizens, the Sonic that will be destroyed by the devastating winds and teeth will be back up and running by the end of the month through the aid of dark magic and well-paid construction workers._

" _Oh! This just in, listeners, it seems this town's resident, and favorite, scientist, my boyfriend, Carlos, is doing his own set of tests on the scheduled tornado. Make sure to give him a friendly wave if you see him and don't forget Carlos team now has new openings! Be sure to submit a resume signed in blood, ink, and the tears of what will never be_ -"

The rest of the broadcast was temporarily drowned out by not only the gusting, high winds, but by Carlos' cackling as he chased after the tornado through the streets. He didn't _like_ missing his boyfriend's show, but there was only so much he could do to hear when he already had his headphones on- And this tornado was too fascinating to leave alone!

Not only were the winds gusting at over eighty miles an hour, but the tornado was following a clearly marked path across town and, indeed, destroying car lot after car lot. Carlos was kind of happy about that. Night Vale had far too many car dealerships. The Mayor thought it was from some kind of scheme to infiltrate families with well affordable cars with great gas milage, but Carlos figured it was more along the lines of a cult. It was always a cult when it came to car lots. Maybe- Oh, he was getting sucked up into the tornado.

If this Carlos was the one from even a few months ago, then he would be panicking and screaming and praying to a god that didn't exist, but as it was… Well. No better time to get some wind samples, right? It really wasn't that hard to jot down the readings he was getting and even coax a small bit of the tornado into a glass vial. Interesting enough, when in the vial, the miniature tornado looked purple and had a pair of fangs!

Thinking about grabbing another sample or two, Carlos didn't get to decide before he grunted as he was roughly dropped back onto his feet and, oh. He was at the radio station. Well, then, that was quite the shortcut!

"- _take you to… The weather_." Smiling as he tugged his goggles and headphones down, Carlos gave a knock to the glass door before entering. A small visit with Cecil wouldn't put him too far behind on that day's work. Besides, Carlos had to show his new tornado sample to _someone_.

::

Carlos had to admit, even if only to himself, a team of Night Vale scientists were much more experienced in handling situations gone wrong. His last team would have been curled under a desk panicking at an infestation of bright green foxes invading the lab and walking around on two legs in order to gather everything up with their arms. Did Night Valeans? No.

Instead of panicking, all of their living experiments had been temporarily released in order to aid them in fighting off the invaders. He was quite pleased to notice Audrey III was no longer looking so morose and instead using her vines to thrash everything that came into her range. The other living experiments were much the same and Carlos was pleased to see some of the gray blobs they had collected from the clocks were attacking the invaders as well.

"Mr. Scientist, sir, should we collect one for samples and experimentation?" One of his younger workers, an intern, had a fox in her arms and was uncaring of the bites and scratches appearing on her arms.

"Good idea, Janice. You keep that one in Audrey's cage for now, okay? I'll try and help get the rest out of here." Flicking his lighter on, Carlos grinned as his makeshift flamethrower caught the flame and oh- Oh, this was going to be _fun_.

He might have gotten a _little_ carried away as he realized he was _cackling_ when the front door opened- Oh, Cecil! Turning his flamethrower off, Carlos gave a bright grin and wave from where he was standing on a table. "Hi, sweetie!"

The foxes were taking the opportunity to run out of the building now that the door was open, all of them with singed or still burning fur. Jumping off the table, Carlos set his flamethrower down before heading over to Cecil, greeting him with a kiss. "Sorry, Ceec, we had a bit of an infestation."

"We had some at the station, earlier," Cecil nodded, looking adorably flustered at the casual kiss. Carlos would never get over how startled and flustered the greeting kisses made Cecil. "I'm glad you're alright."

"Of course." Carlos hummed, kissing at Cecil's cheek and laughing as Audrey III wiggled her way over to them. "I'm thinking about letting her out a bit more often - at least for a few weeks. This infestation really kept her well fed."

"I think that'd be lovely. She really is quite sweet." Cecil bent down to play with one of the leaves, Audrey III shamelessly leaning into each and every scratch and touch. She was far too much like Carlos. "You're just _precious_. Are those leaves poisonous?" Carlos suppressed a laugh, but was unable to repress the urge to run a hand through Cecil's hair. The man leaned into the touch at once, eyes fluttering shut for a few moments.

"Cecil…" Carlos trailed off, bending down to press a light kiss against the man's temple. "Why don't we go get some coffee?"

"Really?" Cecil perked up, Carlos biting back a sigh. He had been neglecting Cecil with how busy he had been hiring a new team, hadn't he? "You aren't too busy-"

"I'm never too busy for you." The other near _swooned_ , tattoos squirming and wiggling in delight. "I think they opened the movie theaters again if you want to catch a movie, too."

"That sounds _wonderful_." Another perk of Night Valean scientists, none of them looked strangely at Cecil- Actually, one or two looked quite starstruck. It was cute. It… It was home.

::

Out of everything in Night Vale that Carlos had seen, Cecil was the greatest wonder and the most scientifically interesting. He wasn't just the Voice of Night Vale, but the very representation of who they were. One only need look at Cecil to understand Night Vale - something outsiders often didn't understand.

It was something he hadn't understood at first, either. He had heard the radio host talking about his perfect hair and he had dismissed him as playing some cruel joke. It had taken a year to realize that Cecil was quite serious and he, like the town, was utterly _amazing_.

One day Carlos would love to lay Cecil down, lavish every inch of him with touch and kiss, and chart every possible reaction he had. He'd love to study him in depth and find out just what would give him the most pleasure. He would love nothing more than to spend a lifetime making Cecil happy and pleasured and pleased beyond words.

He said one day, of course, because often he ended up getting sidetracked. It was quite easy to get sidetracked by Cecil, especially when the man was soundly fucking him into the mattress and making it almost impossible to remember anything but his name - and he only remembered his name because Cecil wouldn't stop saying it.

It was good, though. It was _so good_. It wasn't just about the… It wasn't just about _pleasure_ , but it was about how Cecil always knew how to make him feel better. He knew when to hold him, when to help him, when to leave him to his peace and silence, and when to just sit next to him and hold his hand. He also knew when Carlos was feeling like he didn't exist and when Night Vale felt like a vivid dream.

Those were the days Cecil was gentle and soft as he led him upstairs, kisses slow and slick before they became hard and rough. Those days were when Cecil would lead him upstairs with charm and adoration before it became lust and possession. Days when he would push Carlos down and leave him unable to move before taking _everything_.

Every single time Carlos would scream Cecil's name and fall apart before they were where they were now, sweaty and tired and wrapped around one another, Cecil soft and quiet again. "Do you feel better, my Carlos?"

And Carlos, voice rough and mental calculations finally silent, would lean their foreheads together and breathe out Cecil's name and a quiet, "Thank you."

One day. One day Carlos would take Cecil apart and show the man just what it was he did for Carlos every day they were together. It could wait, though.

They had the rest of their lives together, after all.


End file.
